Optical recording medium, recording/reproducing apparatus and method, initialization method, and reinitialization method

ABSTRACT

A recording/reproducing apparatus includes a writing/reading unit writing data to or reading data from an information recording medium having an access control area in which access control data is recorded, the access control data having common information set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to the information recording medium to control access to the information recording medium; and a control unit controlling the writing/reading unit to record access control data regarding a function recognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatus in the access control area when the information recording medium is initialized or reinitialized.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/062,808, filed on Feb. 23, 2005, which claims the benefit of KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2004-0033182, filed on May 11, 2004, in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, Korean Patent Application No.10-2004-0042921, filed on Jun. 11, 2004, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0044514,filed on Jun. 16, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, theentire disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The following description relates to a disc, and more particularly, toan information recording medium, a recording/reproducing apparatus andmethod, an initialization method, and a reinitialization method, bywhich a disc is initialized to secure recording/reproductioncompatibility.

2. Description of the Related Art

The standards for optical systems including optical disc drive systemsand optical discs have to be frequently updated in light of thedevelopments of optical disc technology and semiconductor technology.FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining problems related to standardupdating. Generally, a new standard is obtained by adding new functionsto an old standard. An old standard disc 12 is designed to operate in anold standard drive system 11, whereas a new standard disc 14 is designedto operate in a new standard drive system 13.

The old standard and the new standard may or may not providerecording/reproducing compatibility. If the recording/reproducingcompatibility is assured, the old standard disc 12 and the new standarddisc 14 can be recorded/reproduced in both of the old and new standarddrive systems 11 and 13. For example, when the new standard disc 14 isloaded into the old standard drive system 11, the old standard drivesystem 11 should properly operate in response to newly added functionsin the new standard. Therefore, the standard should be designed byconsidering the necessity of updating them continuously.

In view of this need, it is necessary to define rules that allow a drivesystem to perform functions recognized by a current standard and rulesthat allow the same drive system to perform new functions not recognizedby the current standard. In a case where a future standard is made byadding a new function to a current standard, if a future standard drivesystem stores on a disc information regarding operations that a currentstandard drive system needs to perform for the new function, the currentstandard drive system can read the information from the disc adapted tothe new function and perform the operations for the new function.

In such aspect, a method of initializing or reinitializing a disc toenable various types of drive systems to use a disc adapted to afunction that is not recognizable by the drive systems desired.Initialization is a process performed on an empty disc to initially usethe empty disc. Reinitialization is a process performed on a used discto initialize the used disc again.

SUMMARY

Aspects provide an optical recording medium, a recording/reproducingapparatus and method, an initialization method, and a reinitializationmethod, which increase compatibility between discs and drive systems ofdifferent standards.

According to an aspect, there is provided an information recordingmedium including an access control area in which access control data isrecorded, the access control data having common information set to allowa recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predeterminedfunction adapted to the information recording medium to control accessto the information recording medium, wherein access control dataregarding a function recognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatusis recorded in the access control area when the information recordingmedium is initialized or reinitialized.

According to an aspect, common information of the access control dataregarding the recognizable function includes an ID of the recognizablefunction, formatability information regarding the information recordingmedium, and recordability/reproducibility information regardingsub-areas defined on the information recording medium.

According to an aspect, the formatability information and therecordability/reproducibility information is set as “formatable” and“recordable”, respectively.

According to an aspect, after the access control data is recorded, anarea remaining unrecorded in the access control area is filled with apredetermined value.

According to another aspect, there is provided a recording/reproducingapparatus including a writing/reading unit writing data to or readingdata from an information recording medium having an access control areain which access control data is recorded, the access control data havingcommon information set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus thatcannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to the informationrecording medium to control access to the information recording medium;and a control unit controlling the writing/reading unit to record theaccess control data regarding a function recognizable by therecording/reproducing apparatus in the access control area when theinformation recording medium is initialized or reinitialized.

According to still another aspect, there is provided arecording/reproducing method including recording access control dataregarding a function recognizable by a recording/reproducing apparatusin an access control area when an information recording medium isinitialized or reinitialized to enable the information recording mediumto be used, the information recording medium having the access controlarea in which access control data is recorded, the access control datahaving common information set to allow any recording/reproducingapparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to theinformation recording medium to control access to the informationrecording medium.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a method ofinitializing an information recording medium, including recordinginitialization information for defect management and disc management ina defect management area arranged on the information recording medium tomanage a defect occurring in a data area arranged on the informationrecording medium; and recording access control data regarding a functionrecognizable by a recording/reproducing apparatus in an access controlarea arranged on the information recording medium, the access controldata having common information set to allow any recording/reproducingapparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to theinformation recording medium to control access to the informationrecording medium.

According to an aspect, the initialization information includes a discdefinition structure (DDS) including assignment information regarding aspare area, which is assigned in the data area to record data replacingdefective data occurring in the data area, and assignment informationregarding a user data area in which user data is recorded in the dataarea; and a defect list (DFL) including initial information for defectmanagement.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a method ofreinitializing an information recording medium, including determiningwhether the information recording medium can be reinitialized usinginitialization information recorded in a defect management area arrangedon the information recording medium for defect management and discmanagement and using access control data recorded in an access controlarea arranged on the information recording medium, the access controldata having common information set to allow any recording/reproducingapparatus that cannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to theinformation recording medium to control access to the informationrecording medium; if it is determined that the information recordingmedium can be reinitialized, updating the initialization informationwith reinitialization information in the defect management area; andclearing the access control area and recording access control dataregarding a function recognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatusin the access control area.

According to an aspect, the reinitialization information includes a DDSincluding assignment information regarding a spare area, which isassigned in the data area to record data replacing defective dataoccurring in the data area, and assignment information regarding a userdata area in which user data is recorded in the data area; and a DFLincluding initial information for defect management.

According to an aspect, the method further includes determining a sizeof the spare area as the assignment information regarding the spare areaand determining a start address and an end address of the user data areaas the assignment information regarding the user data area.

According to another aspect, there is provided a recording/reproducingapparatus including a writing/reading unit writing data to or readingdata from an information recording medium having an access control area,in which access control data (ACD) is recorded, and an ACD stateinformation area in which state information regarding one ofdefectiveness and recordability of an ACD block containing the ACD isrecorded, the ACD having common information set to allow therecording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize a predeterminedfunction adapted to the information recording medium to control accessto the information recording medium; and a control unit controlling thewriting/reading unit to change the state information regarding the ACDblock when the information recording medium is reinitialized.

According to an aspect, the control unit changes state informationindicating that ACD block has valid ACD into state informationindicating that the ACD block has invalid ACD and is available forrecording of ACD when the information recording medium is reinitialized.

According to an aspect, the control unit does not change stateinformation indicating that the ACD block is a defective block and stateinformation indicating that the ACD block is available for recording ofACD when the information recording medium is reinitialized.

According to an aspect, the control unit changes state informationindicating that the ACD block has valid ACD and adefect-while-reproduction into state information indicating that the ACDblock is a defective block when the information recording medium isreinitialized.

According to an aspect, the control unit controls the writing/readingunit to write one of “00h” and “FFh” as an ID of the ACD to indicatevalidity of the ACD block included in the access control area when theinformation recording medium is reinitialized.

According to an aspect, the control unit controls the writing/readingunit to read data from the ACD block based on the state informationregarding the ACD block when the validity of the ACD block indicated bythe ID of the ACD is inconsistent with the state information regardingthe ACD block.

According to an aspect, when an error occurs while the state informationregarding the ACD block is reproduced, the control unit determines thevalidity of the ACD block based on the ID of the ACD.

According to still another aspect, there is provided arecording/reproducing method including writing data to or reading datafrom an information recording medium having an access control area, inwhich ACD is recorded, and an ACD state information area in which stateinformation regarding one of defectiveness and recordability of an ACDblock containing the ACD is recorded, the ACD having common informationset to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize apredetermined function adapted to the information recording medium tocontrol access to the information recording medium; and changing thestate information regarding the ACD block when the information recordingmedium is reinitialized.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided arecording/reproducing apparatus including a writing/reading unit writingdata to or reading data from an information recording medium having anaccess control area in which ACD is recorded, the ACD having commoninformation set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus that cannotrecognize a predetermined function adapted to the information recordingmedium to control access to the information recording medium; and acontrol unit controlling the writing/reading unit to write default ACDin the access control area when the information recording medium isinitialized or reinitialized, the default ACD including commoninformation set to permit writing/reading with respect to sub-areasdefined on the information recording medium and predetermined specificinformation.

According to an aspect, the at least part of values set for the defaultACD is provided by at least one of a host and the control unit.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a recording/reproducingapparatus including a writing/reading unit writing data to or readingdata from an information recording medium having an access control areain which ACD is recorded, the ACD having common information set to allowthe recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize apredetermined function adapted to the information recording medium tocontrol access to the information recording medium; and a control unitcontrolling the writing/reading unit to write at least default ACD amongACD regarding functions recognizable by the recording/reproducingapparatus in the access control area, when the information recordingmedium is initialized or reinitialized, the default ACD including commoninformation set to permit writing/reading with respect to sub-areasdefined on the information recording medium and predetermined specificinformation.

According to another aspect, there is provided a recording/reproducingapparatus including a writing/reading unit writing data to or readingdata from an information recording medium having an access control areain which ACD is recorded, the ACD having common information set to allowthe recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize apredetermined function adapted to the information recording medium tocontrol access to the information recording medium; and a control unitcontrolling the writing/reading unit to change data in an ACD blockregarding a function recognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatusand record a value indicating “available” in an ACD block regarding afunction unrecognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatus, amongACD blocks in the access control area, when the information recordingmedium is reinitialized.

According to an aspect, the control unit controls the writing/readingunit to change or erase the data in the ACD block regarding therecognizable function or to add a new ACD block regarding a newrecognizable function according to a user's request and to update stateinformation regarding the ACD block regarding the recognizable functionaccording to a result of one of the change, erasure, and addition.

According to an aspect, the ACD block regarding the new recognizablefunction includes a default ACD that has common information set topermit writing/reading with respect to sub-areas defined on theinformation recording medium and predetermined specific information.

According to an aspect, the control unit controls the writing/readingunit to write one of “00h” and “FFh” in the ACD block regarding theunrecognizable function to indicate that the ACD block regarding theunrecognizable function does not have valid data and to change stateinformation regarding the ACD block regarding the unrecognizablefunction to indicate that the ACD block regarding the unrecognizablefunction is available.

According to still another aspect, there is provided arecording/reproducing method including recording default ACD in anaccess control area when an information recording medium is initializedor reinitialized, wherein the access control area is provided in theinformation recording medium to record ACD therein, the ACD havingcommon information set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus thatcannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to the informationrecording medium to control access to the information recording medium,and wherein the default ACD includes common information set to permitwriting/reading with respect to sub-areas defined on the informationrecording medium and predetermined specific information.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided arecording/reproducing method including recording in an access controlarea at least default ACD among ACD regarding functions recognizable bya recording/reproducing apparatus when recording/reproducing apparatusinitializes or reinitializes an information recording medium, whereinthe access control area is provided in the information recording mediumto record ACD therein, the ACD having common information set to allowthe recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize apredetermined function adapted to the information recording medium tocontrol access to the information recording medium, and wherein thedefault ACD includes common information set to permit writing/readingwith respect to sub-areas defined on the information recording mediumand predetermined specific information.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a recording/reproducingmethod including changing data in an ACD block, regarding a functionrecognizable by a recording/reproducing apparatus, in an access controlarea when an information recording medium is reinitialized; andrecording a value indicating “available” in an ACD block, regarding afunction unrecognizable by the recording/reproducing apparatus, in theaccess control area, when the information recording medium isreinitialized, wherein the access control area is provided in theinformation recording medium to record ACD therein, the ACD havingcommon information set to allow the recording/reproducing apparatus thatcannot recognize a predetermined function adapted to the informationrecording medium to control access to the information recording medium.

Other features and aspects may be apparent from the following detaileddescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining compatibility between discs and drivesystems of different standards in the conventional technology.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining compatibility between a disc anddrive systems of different standards in initialization orreinitialization according an aspect.

FIG. 3 illustrates a structure of an optical recording medium accordingto an aspect.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a detailed structure of defectmanagement area (DMA) #1 shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed structure of an access control area (ACA)shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of access control data (ACD) recorded inthe ACA by a version 1.0 drive system shown in FIG. 2 duringinitialization or reinitialization.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of ACD recorded in the ACA by a version1.1 drive system shown in FIG. 2 during initialization orreinitialization.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of ACD recorded in the ACA by a version1.2 drive system shown in FIG. 2 during initialization orreinitialization.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a recording/reproducing apparatusperforming initialization and reinitialization according to anembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an initialization method according to anembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method according to anembodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a detailed structure of the DMA#1 shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of ACD state information shown in FIG.12.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate examples of ACD blocks and ACD stateinformation, respectively, before reinitialization of a disc to explainan update of the ACD state information when the disc is reinitializedaccording to an aspect.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate examples of the ACD blocks and the ACDstate information, respectively, after the reinitialization of the discto explain an update of the ACD state information when the disc isreinitialized according to an aspect.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 17 illustrates a structure of a default ACD according to an aspect.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an initialization method for a rewritablerecording medium according to an embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method for a rewritablerecording medium according to an embodiment.

FIG. 20 illustrates a structure of a write-once recording mediumaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of an initialization method for a write-oncerecording medium according to an embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method for a rewritablerecording medium according to an embodiment.

Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwisedescribed, the same drawing reference numerals should be understood torefer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative sizeand depiction of these elements may be exaggerated for clarity,illustration, and convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader ingaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses,and/or systems described herein. Accordingly, various changes,modifications, and equivalents of the systems, apparatuses and/ormethods described herein will be suggested to those of ordinary skill inthe art. The progression of processing steps and/or operations describedis an example; however, the sequence of steps and/or operations is notlimited to that set forth herein and may be changed as is known in theart, with the exception of steps and/or operations necessarily occurringin a certain order. Also, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for increased clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining compatibility between a disc anddrive systems of different standards in initialization orreinitialization according to an aspect. Referring to FIG. 2, a standarddefined for a rewritable recording medium adapted to a function A isreferred to as a version 1.0, and a recording/reproducing apparatusimplementing the version 1.0 is referred to as a version 1.0 drivesystem 21. An update standard obtained by adding a new function B to theversion 1.0 is referred to as a version 1.1, and a recording/reproducingapparatus implementing the version 1.1 is referred to as a version 1.1drive system 22. A further update standard obtained by adding a newfunction C to the version 1.1 is referred to as a version 1.2, and arecording/reproducing apparatus implementing the version 1.2 is referredto as a version 1.2 drive system 23. A disc D is a rewritable recordingmedium for the versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2.

The version 1.0 drive system 21 cannot recognize the functions B and C.The version 1.1 drive system 22 cannot recognize the function C.However, the version 1.2 drive system 23 can recognize both of thefunctions B and C. In this situation, when the disc D is empty and isinitialized by the version 1.0 drive system 21, the version 1.0 drivesystem 21 needs to initialize the empty disc D such that the initializeddisc D can be recognized by both of the version 1.1 drive system 22 andthe version 1.2 drive system 23. When the disc D is empty and isinitialized by the version 1.1 drive system 22, the version 1.1 drivesystem 22 needs to initialize the empty disc D such that the initializeddisc D can be recognized by both of the version 1.0 drive system 21 andthe version 1.2 drive system 23. Similarly, when the disc D is empty andis initialized by the version 1.2 drive system 23, the version 1.2 drivesystem 23 needs to initialize the empty disc D such that the initializeddisc D can be recognized by both of the version 1.0 drive system 21 andthe version 1.1 drive system 22.

In order to initialize an empty disc by a certain version of a drivesystem usable in the other versions of the drive system, informationthat can be recognized by all versions of the drive system must be used.In an aspect, a disc is initialized using a defect management area (DMA)and an access control area (ACA), which are provided in a lead-in areaof the disc, so that the initialized disc can be recognized by differentversions of a drive system. In other words, initialization informationis recorded in the DMA and the ACA during initialization of the disc sothat the initialized disc can be appropriately used by the differentversions of the drive system based on the initialization information.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the disc D is initialized by the version 1.0drive system 21, since the function A can be recognized by all of theversion 1.0 drive system 21, the version 1.1 drive system 22, and theversion 1.2 drive system 23, information regarding the function A can bechanged by the version 1.1 drive system 22 and the version 1.2 drivesystem 23 according to a user's or drive manufacture's intention.

When the disc D is initialized by the version 1.1 drive system 22, sincethe version 1.0 drive system 21 cannot recognize the function B,information prescribing operations that the version 1.0 drive system 21needs to perform with respect to the function B is recorded in the ACAaccording to a rule or scheme that was made when the version 1.0 wasmade. As a result, when the disc D adapted to the function B is loadedinto the version 1.0 drive system 21, the version 1.0 drive system 21can appropriately operate, thereby providing convenience in using thedisc D.

When the disc D is initialized by the version 1.2 drive system 23, sincethe version 1.0 drive system 21 and the version 1.1 drive system 22cannot recognize the function C, information prescribing operations thatthe version 1.0 drive system 21 and the version 1.1 drive system 22 needto perform with respect to the function C is recorded in the accesscontrol area according to the rule or scheme that was made when theversion 1.0 was made. As a result, when the disc D adapted to thefunction C is loaded into the version 1.0 drive system 21 or the version1.1 drive system 22, the version 1.0 drive system 21 and the version 1.1drive system 22 can appropriately operate, thereby providing conveniencein using the disc D. In addition, the information prescribing operationsthat the version 1.0 drive system 21 needs to perform with respect tothe function B is recorded in the ACA according to the rule or schemethat was made when the version 1.0 was made. As a result, when the discD adapted to the function B is loaded into the version 1.0 drive system21, the version 1.0 drive system 21 can appropriately operate, therebyproviding convenience in using the disc D.

In the same manner, a used disc is reinitialized. To enable the useddisc to be recognized by different versions of a drive system, the useddisc is reinitialized using a DMA and an ACA provided in a lead-in areaof the used disc. However, reinitialization is different frominitialization in that whether information recorded in the used discallows reinitialization of the used disc is determined first even if areinitialization command is input by a user. Whether to reinitialize theused disc may be determined based on access control data (ACD) recordedin the ACA, which will be described in detail later.

FIG. 3 illustrates a structure of a disc 100 using an aspect. Referringto FIG. 3, the disc 100 sequentially includes a lead-in area 110, a dataarea 120, and a lead-out area 130. The lead-in area 110 includes apre-recorded area 111 in which predetermined data is recorded when thedisc 100 is manufactured, a test area 112, an ACA 113, a DMA #2 114, anda DMA #1 115. The pre-recorded area 11 can be used only for reading. Thetest area 112, the ACA 113, the DMA #2 114, and the DMA #1 115 are areasto which data can be written and rewritten.

The pre-recorded area 111 stores information regarding the disc 100 thatis recorded when the disc 100 is manufactured. For example, thepre-recorded area 111 stores a disc ID such as a disc manufacturingnumber that identifies the disc 100. However, it is understood thatadditional data can be included in the pre-recorded area 111.

The test area 112 is provided to test recording power or the like foroptimal recording on the disc 100.

The ACA 113 is provided to record information prescribing operations ofa drive system for a new function to be added afterwards. Commoninformation enabling a drive system that cannot recognize a certainfunction to access the disc 100 is recorded in the ACA 113, which willbe described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

The DMA #1 115 and the DMA #2 114 are provided to record informationregarding a defect occurring in a user data area (UDA) 122. The DMA #1115 and the DMA #2 114 will be described in detail with reference toFIG. 3.

The data area 120 includes spare area #0 121, the UDA 122, and sparearea #1 123. The UDA 122 is provided to record user data. The spare area#0 121 and the spare area #1 123 provide spare blocks replacingdefective blocks occurring in the UDA 122. Such spare areas areallocated to the data area 122 during initialization or reinitializationof the disc 100. The lead-out area 130 includes DMA #3 131 and DMA #4132.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed structure of the DMA #1 115 shown in FIG.3. Referring to FIG. 4, the DMA #1 115 includes a disc definitionstructure (DDS) 410 and a defect list (DFL) 420. The DDS 410 includesdisc management information. In detail, the DDS 410 includes spare areasize information 411 and UDA start and end addresses information 412 asinformation recorded on a disc during initialization orreinitialization. When initializing or reinitializing a disc, a drivesystem allocates a spare area to a data area, determines the UDA 122 inwhich user data is recorded in the data area, and records informationregarding the spare area and the UDA 122 in the DDS 410. The DFL 420contains information regarding a defect occurring in the UDA 122. Forexample, the DFL 420 includes an address of a defective block occurringin the UDA 122, an address of a spare block replacing the defectiveblock, and state information regarding the defect.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed structure of the ACA 113 shown in FIG. 3.Referring to FIG. 5, the ACA 113 includes ACD #1 510, ACD #2 520, andACD #3 530. The ACA 113 is an area in which common information used toaccess a disc regardless of existing or new standards is recorded. Inother words, the ACA 113 stores a common information table applied incommon to all functions used in existing standards and new standards.While not required in all aspects, the ACD constitutes a commoninformation table regarding each function. For example, the ACD #1 510constitutes a common information table regarding “function1”, the ACD #2520 constitutes a common information table regarding “function2”, andthe ACD #3 530 constitutes a common information table regarding“function3”. The function1 may be recognized by a drive system, and thefunction2 and the function3 may not be recognized by the drive system.ACD may also include specific information that only a drive systemrecognizing a function corresponding to the ACD can recognize.

The ACD #1 510 includes common information 511 and specific information512. The common information 511 includes an ACD_ID 513 (i.e., an IDidentifying ACD) formatability information 514 indicating whether thedisc can be formatted, DMA recordability/reproducibility information 515indicating whether a DMA is recordable or is only reproducible, sparearea recordability/reproducibility information 516 indicating whether aspare area is recordable or is only reproducible, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 517 indicating whether a UDAis recordable or is only reproducible. The formatability information514, the DMA recordability/reproducibility information 515, the sparearea recordability/reproducibility information 516, and the UDArecordability/reproducibility information 517 constitute the commoninformation table.

A drive system can determine based on the ACD_ID 513 whether the ACD #1510 is about a recognizable function. In other words, if the drivesystem knows the ACD_ID 513, the ACD #1 510 is determined as being abouta recognizable function. Otherwise, the ACD #1 510 is determined asbeing about an unrecognizable function. In addition, even though thedrive system does not know the ACD_ID 513, the drive system can performat least minimum proper operations with respect to an unrecognizablefunction based on fields included in the common information table.

The ACD #2 520 also includes common information 521 and specificinformation 522. The common information 521 includes an ACD_ID 523 and acommon information table containing formatability information 524, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 525, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 526, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 527.

ACD recorded in the ACA 113 when a disc is initialized or reinitializedby an each of the drive systems 21 through 23 under the conditionsillustrated in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7below.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the ACD recorded in the ACA 113 by theversion 1.0 drive system 21 shown in FIG. 2 during initialization orreinitialization. Referring to FIG. 6, the version 1.0 drive system 21knows only the function A and thus records only ACD #1 610 regarding thefunction A in the ACA 113. After finishing recording the ACD #1 610 inthe ACA 113, the version 1.0 drive system 21 fills a remainingunrecorded area 620 with 00h. The unrecorded area 620 may also be filledwith FFh according to an aspect. The unrecorded area 620 is filled with00h or FFh to indicate that there is no more ACD in the ACA 113 and toenable the unrecorded area 620 to be used afterwards.

The ACD #1 610 includes common information 611 and specific information612. The common information 611 includes an ACD_ID 613 as an ID of theACD #1 610, in which “A” indicating the function A known to the version1.0 drive system 21 is recorded, and also includes a common informationtable containing formatability information 614, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 615, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 616, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 617, which are set to zero (0)indicating “recordable”. Since the initialization or reinitialization isperformed to enable a disc to be used, all of the formatability andrecordability information are set to “recordable”.

Since the function A, the content of which is contained in the ACD #1610 recorded in the ACA 113 of the initialized disc D, can be recognizedby all of the drive systems 21 through 23, the ACD #1 610 can be changedby a user or a drive manufacturer when the initialized disc D is loadedinto and used in any of the drive systems 21 through 23.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the ACD recorded in the ACA 113 by theversion 1.1 drive system shown in FIG. 2 during initialization orreinitialization. Referring to FIG. 7, the version 1.1 drive system 22knows the function A and the function B and thus records ACD #1 710regarding the function A and ACD #2 720 regarding the function B in theACA 113. After finishing recording the ACD #1 710 and the ACD #1 720 inthe ACA 113, the version 1.1 drive system 22 fills a remainingunrecorded area 730 with 00h or FFh.

The ACD #1 710 includes common information 711 and specific information712. The common information 711 includes an ACD_ID 713 as an ID of theACD #1 710, in which “A” indicating the function A known to the version1.1 drive system 22 is recorded, and also includes a common informationtable containing formatability information 714, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 715, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 716, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 717, which are set to zero (0)indicating “recordable”. Since the initialization or reinitialization isperformed to enable a disc to be used, all of the formatability andrecordability information are set to “recordable”.

The ACD #2 720 includes common information 721 and specific information722. The common information 721 includes an ACD_ID 723 as an ID of theACD #1 720, in which “B” indicating the function B known to the version1.1 drive system 22 is recorded, and also includes a common informationtable containing formatability information 724, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 725, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 726, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 727, which are set to zero (0)indicating “recordable”.

Since the function A, the content of which is contained in the ACD #1710 recorded in the ACA 113 of the initialized disc D, can be recognizedby all of the drive systems 21 through 23, the ACD #1 710 can be changedby a user or a drive manufacturer when the initialized disc D is loadedinto and used in any of the drive systems 21 through 23. The function Bregarding which the ACD #2 720 has been recorded in the ACA 113 cannotbe recognized by the version 1.0 drive system 21, but the version 1.0drive system 21 can operate to access the initialized disc D using thecommon information 721 included in the ACD #2 720.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of the ACD recorded in the ACA 133 by theversion 1.2 drive system shown in FIG. 2 during initialization orreinitialization. Referring to FIG. 8, the version 1.2 drive system 22knows the function A, the function B, and the function C and thusrecords ACD #1 810 regarding the function A, ACD #2 820 regarding thefunction B, and ACD #3 830 regarding the function C in the ACA 113.Thereafter, the version 1.2 drive system 23 fills a remaining unrecordedarea 840 with 00h or FFh.

The ACD #1 810 includes common information 811 and specific information812. The common information 811 includes an ACD_ID 813 as an ID of theACD #1 810, in which “A” indicating the function A known to the version1.2 drive system 23 is recorded, and also includes a common informationtable containing formatability information 814, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 815, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 816, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 817, which are set to zero (0)indicating “recordable”. Since the initialization or reinitialization isperformed to enable a disc to be used, all of the formatability andrecordability information are set to “recordable”.

The ACD #2 820 includes common information 821 and specific information822. The common information 821 includes an ACD_ID 823 as an ID of theACD #2 820, in which “B” indicating the function B known to the version1.2 drive system 23 is recorded, and also includes a common informationtable containing formatability information 824, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 825, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 826, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 827, which are set to zero (0)indicating “recordable”.

The ACD #3 830 includes common information 831 and specific information832. The common information 831 includes an ACD_ID 833 as an ID of theACD #3 830, in which “C” indicating the function C known to the version1.2 drive system 23 is recorded, and also includes a common informationtable containing formatability information 834, DMArecordability/reproducibility information 835, spare arearecordability/reproducibility information 836, and UDArecordability/reproducibility information 837, which are set to zero (0)indicating “recordable”.

Since the function A, the content of which is contained in the ACD #1810 recorded in the ACA 113 of the initialized disc D, can be recognizedby all of the drive systems 21 through 23, the ACD #1 810 can be changedby a user or a drive manufacturer when the initialized disc D is loadedinto and used in any of the drive systems 21 through 23. The function Bregarding which the ACD #2 820 has been recorded in the ACA 113 cannotbe recognized by the version 1.0 drive system 21, but the version 1.0drive system 21 can operate to access the initialized disc D using thecommon information 821 included in the ACD #2 820. The function Cregarding which the ACD #3 830 has been recorded in the ACA 113 cannotbe recognized by the version 1.0 drive system 21 and the version 1.1drive system 22, but the version 1.0 drive system 21 and the version 1.1drive system 22 can operate to access the initialized disc D using thecommon information 831 included in the ACD #3 830.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a recording/reproducing apparatusaccording to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, therecording/reproducing apparatus includes a writing/reading unit 2 and acontrol unit 1. The writing/reading unit 2 includes a pickup and writesdata to and reads data from the disc 100 that is an optical recordingmedium. The control unit 1 controls the writing/reading unit 2 to writedata to and read data from the disc 100 according to a predeterminedfile system. More particularly, the control unit 1 performs control toinitialize an empty disc and to reinitialize a used disc. The controlunit 1 includes a system controller 10, a host interface (I/F) 20, adigital signal processor (DSP) 30, a radio frequency (RF) amplifier(AMP) 40, and a servo 50.

During recording, the host I/F 20 receives a predetermined write commandfrom a host 3 and transmits the received command to the systemcontroller 10. The system controller 10 controls the DSP 30 and theservo 50 to execute the write command received from the host I/F 20. TheDSP 30 adds additional data, such as a parity, to data received from thehost I/F 20 to be written, performs error correction coding (ECC) togenerate an ECC block for error correction, and modulates the ECC blockin a predetermined mode. The RF AMP 40 converts data output from the DSP30 into an RF signal. The writing/reading unit 2 including the pickupwrites the RF signal received from the RF AMP 40 to the disc 100. Theservo 50 receives a servo control command from the system controller 10and servo controls the pickup included in the writing/reading unit 2.

During reproduction, the host I/F 20 receives a read command from thehost 3. The system controller 10 performs initialization needed forreproduction. The writing/reading unit 2 radiates a laser beam on thedisc 100 and outputs an optical signal obtained from the laser beamreflected from the disc 100. The RF AMP 40 converts the optical signalreceived from the writing/reading unit 2 into an RF signal, providesmodulated data obtained from the RF signal to the DSP 30, and provides aservo signal obtained from the RF signal to the servo 50. The DSP 30demodulates the modulated data and outputs data obtained by performingECC on the demodulated data. Meanwhile, the servo 50 receives the servosignal from the RF AMP 40 and the servo control command from the systemcontroller 10 and servo controls the pickup. The host I/F 20 transmitsthe data from the DSP 30 to the host 3. The system controller 10 readsdisc management information or defect information from the disc 100 andcontrols the servo 50 to read data from a position where data has beenrecorded with no defects on the disc 100.

According to aspects, the recording/reproducing apparatus illustrated inFIG. 9 may be implemented as an individual recording apparatus, anindividual reproducing apparatus, as a single recording and reproducingapparatus, as a stand alone apparatus, and/or as part of a computersystem.

An exemplary initialization method and an exemplary reinitializationmethod which are performed by a recording/reproducing apparatusaccording to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10and 11 below.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an initialization method according to anembodiment. Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 1010, the disc 100 thatis empty is loaded into a drive system. In operation 1020, the systemcontroller 10 included in the drive system receives an initializationcommand from the host 3 through the host I/F 20. The system controller10 assigns a spare area in a data area of the disc 100 to determine asize of the spare area in operation 1030 and assigns a UDA for recordinguser data in the data area to determine a start address and an endaddress of the UDA in operation 1040. The spare area may be assigned bythe host 3 or may be assigned with a predetermined size by a drivemanufacturer.

In operation 1050, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 and the servo 50 to record a DDS, which includes informationregarding the assignment of the spare area and information regarding theassignment of the UDA, and an initial DFL in a DMA included in a lead-inarea of the disc 100. Initialization information recorded in the DMA hasbeen described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

In operation 1060, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 and the servo 50 to record ACD regarding a function that can berecognized by the drive system in an ACA included in the lead-in area ofthe disc 100. Access control information recorded in the ACA has beendescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

In operation 1070, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 and the servo 50 to fill an unrecorded area remaining in the ACAof the disc 100 with a predetermined value such as 00h or FFh.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method according to anembodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, in operation 1110, the disc 100 thathas been used is loaded into a drive system. Then, the system controller10 included in the drive system recognizes DMA information andinformation prescribing operations that the drive system has to performwith respect to a function that the system controller 10 knows and afunction that the system controller 10 does not know (i.e., ACD)recorded on the disc 100. Next, in operation 1120, the system controller10 receives a reinitialization command from the host 3 through the hostI/F 20.

In operation 1130, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to read information recorded in a DMA and an ACA which areincluded in a lead-in area of the disc 100 and brings the information.The information recorded in the DMA may be a write protection flag, andthe information recorded in the ACA may be information regardingrecordability or formatability, which is included in common informationof ACD.

In operation 1140, the system controller 10 determines whether theinformation read from the DMA and the ACA permits reinitialization. Forexample, if the write protection flag read from the DMA is “1”, writingto the disc 100 is prohibited, and thus reinitialization cannot beperformed such that an error message is transmitted in operation 1190.The common information of the ACD recorded in the ACA includesformatability information and recordability/reproducibility informationregarding sub-areas of the disc 100. If the formatability informationand the recordability/reproducibility information do not permitformatting of the disc 100 or writing to any of the sub-areas of thedisc 100, reinitialization cannot be performed such that an errormessage is transmitted in operation 1190. Accordingly, the systemcontroller 10 determines whether the disc 100 is recordable based on theinformation read from the DMA and the ACA.

If the write protection flag is set to “1” or if the common informationof the ACD does not permit formatting or writing, the system controller10 determines that the disc 100 cannot be reinitialized and transmits anerror message to the host 3 through the host I/F 20 in operation 1190.However, if the write protection flag is not set to “1” and the commoninformation of the ACD permits formatting and writing, the systemcontroller 10 determines to reinitialize the disc 100 and startsreinitializing the disc 100.

Meanwhile, when ACD regarding functions that can be recognized by thedrive system has values that do not permit reinitialization and ACDregarding functions that cannot be recognized by the drive system hasvalues permitting reinitialization, the values of the ACD regarding therecognizable functions may be changed into values permittingreinitialization in response to the user's request for reinitializationsince the values of the ACD regarding the recognizable functions can beupdated, and then it may be determined to start reinitialization of thedisc 100.

If reinitialization is permitted, the system controller 10 assigns aspare area in a data area of the disc 100 to determine a size of thespare area in operation and assigns a UDA for recording user data in thedata area to determine a start address and an end address of the UDA inoperation 1150.

In operation 1160, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to clear the DMA included in the lead-in area on the disc 100 andcontrols the writing/reading unit 2 and the servo 50 to record aninitial DFL and a DDS including the determined information, i.e., sparearea assignment information and UDA assignment information, in the DMA.Although it has been described that initialization information isrecorded in the DMA after being cleared, actually, the initializationinformation recorded in the DMA is updated the since the disc 100 is arewritable type. Although not shown in FIG. 11, file system informationrecorded in a predetermined portion of the UDA to manage data recordedin the UDA should be cleared.

In operation 1170, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to clear the ACA in the lead-in area on the disc 100 and controlsthe writing/reading unit 2 and the servo 50 to record the ACD regardinga function that the drive system can recognize in the ACA in the lead-inarea on the disc 100.

In operation 1180, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 and the servo 50 to fill an unrecorded area remaining in the ACAin the lead-in area on the disc 100 with a predetermined value such as00h or FFh. Operation 1180 is performed to indicate that there is nomore ACD in the ACA and to enable the unrecorded area to be usedafterwards.

The following description relates to a method of updating ACD blockstate information during reinitialization of a disc when stateinformation regarding recordability or defectiveness of an ACD block inthe ACA is managed. When state information of each of ACD blocksincluded in the ACA for recording ACD is recorded in a DDS and ismanaged, the ACD blocks can be efficiently managed. State informationmay indicate that ACD can be recorded in an ACD block, that an ACD blockis defective or stores invalid ACD, that an ACD block stores valid ACD,and that an ACD block stores valid ACD but has a defect occurred duringreproduction. An ACD block physically recorded in the ACA has an ACD_ID,from which a drive system can recognize what function the ACD block isabout. When a disc is loaded in to a drive system, the drive systemdetects a position of a valid ACD block based on ACD block stateinformation included in a DDS recorded in a DMA on the disc andreproduces the valid ACD block.

If the ACD block state information indicating that an ACD block hasvalid ACD is included in the DDS before reinitialization, the ACD blockis fine. After the reinitialization, since ACD recorded in the ACD blockis not necessary, the ACD block state information needs to be changed toindicate that the ACD block has no valid ACD and can be used forrecording ACD. If the ACD block state information included in the DDS toindicate that the ACD block has valid ACD is not changed during thereinitialization, a drive system will reproduce the ACD block based onthe ACD block state information. Accordingly, it is necessary to updatesuch ACD block state information when a disc is reinitialized. Inaddition, since information included in the ACD block is not valid anymore after the reinitialization, if the ACD block state information isnot changed, a drive system may have trouble due to incorrectinformation obtained from the ACD block. Accordingly, in addition tochanging the ACD block state information included in the DDS, the wholeACD block in the ACA or only an ACD_ID of the ACD block needs to beoverwritten with a value, e.g., “00h” or “FFh” to physically erase. Whenthe ACD_ID has a value of “00” or “FF”, current ACD of the ACD block isnot valid and the ACD block can be used for recording other ACD. Since“00h” or “FFh” is recorded in the ACD block when the ACD block iscleared, the ACD_ID of the ACD block becomes the value “00” or “FF”.

Briefly, during reinitialization, a valid ACD block in the ACA on thedisc is overwritten with a value such as “00h” or “FFh”, andcorresponding ACD block state information included in a DDS on the discis changed to indicate that the ACD block does not have valid ACD andcan be used for recording other ACD.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a detailed structure of the DMA#1 115 shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 12, a DDS 410 is an area inwhich disc management information is recorded. Spare area sizeinformation 411, UDA start and end addresses information 412, and ACDstate information 413 are recorded in the DDS 410. The ACD stateinformation 413 includes state information regarding recordability ordefectiveness of each of ACD blocks in which ACD is recorded in an ACA.Referring to FIG. 12, ACD block state information is two bits in length.

FIG. 13 illustrates examples of ACD block state information included inan ACD state information, such as the block state information shown inFIG. 12. Referring to FIG. 13, a state of each ACD block is expressedwith 2 bits, i.e., “00”, “01”, “10”, or “11” indicating one among fourstates. Bits “00” indicates that an ACD block is available for recordingACD. Bits “01” indicates that the ACD block is defective. Morespecifically, bits “01” indicate that the ACD block is detected asdefective while ACD is recorded in an ACA or that the ACD block hasinvalid ACD. Bits “10” indicates that the ACD block has valid ACD but isdetected as defective while ACD is reproduced from the ACA. Bits “11”indicate that the ACD block has valid ACD.

FIGS. 14A through 15B are diagrams for explaining an update of ACD stateinformation when a disc is reinitialized according to an embodiment.FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate examples of ACD blocks and ACD stateinformation, respectively, before the reinitialization. FIGS. 15A and15B illustrate examples of the ACD blocks and the ACD state information,respectively, after the reinitialization.

Referring to FIG. 14A, before the reinitialization, an ACA includes fiveACD blocks: an ACD block #1 having valid ACD, an ACD block #2 havingdefective ACD; an ACD block #3 having valid ACD, an ACD block #4 havingnone of data or one of “00” and “FF” as a value of an ACD_ID, and an ACDblock #5 having valid ACD and having a defect occurred duringreproduction (hereinafter, referred to as a defect-while-reproduction).The ACD_ID having the value “00” or “FF” indicates that although datahas been recorded in an ACD block, ACD can be recorded in the ACD blockafterwards since the data in the ACD block is not valid.

FIG. 14B illustrates state information regarding the ACD blocks #1through 5 shown in FIG. 14A. Referring to FIG. 14B, bits “11” arerecorded as ACD block #1 state information to indicate that the ACDblock #1 has valid ACD. Bits “01” are recorded as ACD block #2 stateinformation to indicate that the ACD block #2 is defective. Bits “11”are recorded as ACD block #3 state information to indicate that the ACDblock #3 has valid ACD. Bits “00” are recorded as ACD block #4 stateinformation to indicate that the ACD block #4 is available for recordingACD because the ACD block #4 has no data recorded therein or has invaliddata. Bits “10” are recorded as ACD block #5 state information toindicate that the ACD block #5 has valid ACD and adefect-while-reproduction.

The ACD blocks and the ACD state information shown in FIGS. 14A and 14Bare changed by reinitialization of a disc, as shown in FIGS. 15A and15B.

Referring to FIG. 15A, after the reinitialization, only the ACD block #2that was defective remains in the state before the reinitialization, butother ACD blocks, i.e., valid ACD blocks, ACD blocks having “00” or “FF”as a value of the ACD_ID, and ACD block having adefect-while-reproduction, come to have “00” or FF″ as a value of theirACD_ID so that the ACD blocks can be used after the reinitialization. Anunrecorded block having no data before the reinitialization remains asit is even after the reinitialization.

FIG. 15B illustrates state information regarding the ACD blocks #1through 5 shown in FIG. 15A. Referring to FIG. 15B, the bits of the ACDblock #1 state information, the ACD block #3 state information, and theACD block #4 state information are changed into “00” to indicate thatthe ACD blocks #1, 3, and 4 are available for recording the ACD becausethe ACD blocks #1, 3, and 4 have no data recorded therein or haveinvalid data. The bits “01” indicating that the ACD block #2 isdefective remain as the ACD block #2 state information. The bits of theACD block #5 state information are changed into “01” since the ACD block# 5 has a defect-while-reproduction. When an ACD block has adefect-while-reproduction, the ACD blocks ACD_ID has a value “00h” or“FFh” indicating that the ACD block is available for recording and stateinformation regarding the ACD block is expressed with bits “01”indicating a defective block. In this situation, when an ACD_ID of anACD block is inconsistent with the state information regarding the ACDblock, the ACD block is not available because of defectiveness since thestate information is considered prior to the ACD_ID. However, when thestate information cannot be extracted due to an error while stateinformation is reproduced, the ACD block having “00h” or “FFh” as itsACD_ID is available.

In the above-described arrangement, a state denoted by an ACD_ID of ACDcontained in an ACD block within the ACA on a disc may be inconsistentwith a state denoted by corresponding ACD block state informationrecorded in the DDS on the disc. In this case, a drive system isdesigned to primarily rely on the ACD block state information recordedin the DDS. This will be described in detail below.

A state of an ACD block can be known from corresponding ACD block stateinformation recorded in the DDS and the ACD block's ACD_ID recorded inthe ACA. If these two types of information are inconsistent with eachother, a drive system primarily relies on the ACD block stateinformation recorded in the DDS. When data cannot be reproduced from theDDS within the DMA due to, for example, a defect occurring in the DMA,the drive system determines validity of information contained in the ACDblock, based on the ACD_ID recorded in the ACA. Inconsistencies betweenthe two types of information may occur due to a defect occurring duringrecording. For example, when a valid ACD is recorded in an ACD block A,a state of the ACD block A is recorded as “11” in the DDS. Thereafter,if a defect occurs when an updated ACD is written to the ACD block A inresponse to a request to update the ACD block A, the drive systemrecords the state information regarding the ACD block A as indicating adefective block. However, the update ACD has not been written to the ACDblock A due to the defect during the recording, and the ACD block Astill has the valid ACD. As a result, the ACD_ID of the valid ACDremains in the ACD block A within the ACA. In this case, the ACD blockstate information must be primarily referred to in order to prevent anerroneous operation of a system.

However, when the ACD block state information in the DDS comes to beunreliable due to a failure in error correction occurring while data isreproduced from the DDS, it is preferable, but not required, that thevalidity of a corresponding ACD block be determined based on an ACD_IDof ACD contained in the ACD block within the ACA.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method according to anotherembodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, in operation 1610, the disc 100 thathas been used is loaded into a drive system. Then, the system controller10 included in the drive system recognizes DMA information andinformation prescribing operations that the drive system has to performwith respect to a function that the system controller 10 knows and afunction that the system controller 10 does not know (i.e., the ACDrecorded on the disc 100). Next, in operation 1620, the systemcontroller 10 receives a reinitialization command from the host 3through the host I/F 20.

In operation 1630, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to read information recorded in the DMA and the ACA, which areincluded in a lead-in area of the disc 100, and brings the information.By way of example, the information recorded in the DMA may be a writeprotection flag, and the information recorded in the ACA may beinformation regarding recordability or formatability, which is includedin common information of ACD.

In operation 1640, the system controller 10 determines whether theinformation read from the DMA and the ACA permits reinitialization. Forexample, if the write protection flag read from the DMA has a value “1”,writing to the disc 100 is prohibited, and thus reinitialization cannotbe performed. The common information of the ACD recorded in the ACAincludes formatability information and recordability/reproducibilityinformation regarding sub-areas of the disc 100. If the formatabilityinformation and the recordability/reproducibility information do notpermit formatting of the disc 100 or writing to any of the sub-areas ofthe disc 100, reinitialization cannot be performed. Accordingly, thesystem controller 10 determines whether the disc 100 is writable basedon the information read from the DMA and the ACA.

If the write protection flag is set to “1” or if the common informationof the ACD does not permit formatting or writing, the system controller10 determines that the disc 100 cannot be reinitialized and transmits anerror message to the host 3 through the host I/F 20 in operation 1680.However, if the write protection flag is not set to “1” and the commoninformation of the ACD permits formatting and writing, the systemcontroller 10 determines to reinitialize the disc 100 and startsreinitializing the disc 100.

Meanwhile, when ACD regarding functions that can be recognized by thedrive system has values that do not permit reinitialization and ACDregarding functions that cannot be recognized by the drive system hasvalues permitting reinitialization, the values of the ACD regarding therecognizable functions may be changed into values permittingreinitialization in response to the user's request for reinitializationsince the values of the ACD regarding the recognizable functions can beupdated, and then it may be determined to start reinitialization of thedisc 100.

If reinitialization is permitted, the system controller 10 assigns aspare area in a data area of the disc 100 to determine a size of thespare area and assigns the UDA for recording user data in the data areato determine a start address and an end address of the UDA in operation1650. In operation 1660, the system controller 10 controls thewriting/reading unit 2 to clear the ACA included in the lead-in area onthe disc 100 and updates ACD state information. In detail, when clearingthe ACA, the system controller 10 maintains ACD block state informationonly when a corresponding ACD block is defective and fills the other ACDblocks within the ACA with “00h” or “FFh” or changes an ACD_ID of eachof the other ACD blocks into “00h” or “FFh” in order to indicate thatthe other ACD blocks are available. In addition, the system controller10 updates the ACD state information, as described with reference toFIGS. 14A through 15B, to reflect changed states of the ACD blocks.

In operation 1670, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to clear the DMA included in the lead-in area on the disc 100 andcontrols the writing/reading unit 2 and the servo 50 to record in theDMA an initial DFL and a DDS including the determined information (i.e.,spare area assignment information and UDA assignment information), andthe updated ACD state information. Although it has been described thatinitialization information is recorded in the DMA after being cleared,actually, the initialization information recorded in the DMA is updatedthe since the disc 100 is a rewritable type. Although not shown in FIG.16, file system information recorded in a predetermined portion of theUDA to manage data recorded in the UDA should be cleared.

Hereinafter, a default ACD will be described. The ACD may be dividedinto recognizable ACD and unrecognizable ACD according to whether adrive system supports the ACD (i.e., whether the drive system canrecognize a function corresponding to the ACD). The recognizable ACDincludes the default ACD which all drive systems supporting ACD mustsupport. Such a default ACD may be recorded in the ACA duringinitialization or reinitialization of a disc and can be utilizedefficiently. As compared to an ACD for a predetermined function (such aswrite protection or reproduction protection), the default ACD containsinitialization information used to access the information storage mediumwhen the information storage medium is initialized or reinitialized.

FIG. 17 illustrates a structure of the default ACD according to anaspect. Referring to FIG. 17, default ACD 1700 is recorded in a portionof an ACA. The default ACD 1700 has a default property and the samestructure as normal ACD. The default ACD 1700 includes commoninformation 1710 and specific information 1720.

An ACD_ID 1711 is included in the common information 1710 and isrecorded as “DEFAULT” to indicate the default ACD. Other information(i.e., formatability information 1712, DMA recordability/reproducibilityinformation 1713, spare area recordability/reproducibility information1714, and UDA recordability/reproducibility information 1715) are set tozero (0) to permit free use of sub-areas defined on a disc. The commoninformation 1710 is substantially similar to the common information forthe ACD having the predetermined function.

The specific information 1720 may be recorded during initialization orreinitialization according to a user's or a drive system's intention.The specific information 1720 is regarding the disk information, whereasthe specific information for an ACD having a specific function is aboutthe predetermined function such as write protection or reproductionprotection. The specific information 1720 may include a drive ID and arecording date. The drive ID can be provided from a drive system, andthe recording data can be provided from a host. When the recording dateand the drive ID are included in the specific information 1720 of thedefault ACD 1700, when the disc is initialized by what drive system canbe easily known. However, other types of information may be included inthe specific information 1720 according to a user or a drive system'sintention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of an initialization method for a rewritablerecording medium according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 18, inoperation 1810, an empty disc is loaded into a drive system. Inoperation 1820, the drive system receives an initialization command froma host according to a user's request to initialize the disc. Inoperation 1830, the drive system records the default ACD in the ACA onthe disc in response to the initialization command. The recording of thedefault ACD may be automatically performed by a system controllerincluded in the drive system or may be performed by recordinginformation that is provided by the host to set the default ACD inresponse to a write command. Alternatively, the two methods may becombined. It is preferable, but not required, that allrecordability/reproducibility information included in common informationin the default ACD are set to zero (0) to indicate that the disc isrecordable/reproducible. Specific information included in the defaultACD may be set to proper values according to a user's or a drivesystem's intention.

In operation 1840, a spare area is assigned in a data area on the discto replace a defective block during defect management. In operation1850, a start address and an end address of a UDA are determined in thedata area. In operation 1860, an initial DFL and a DDS including sparearea assignment information, UDA size information, and ACD stateinformation after the default ACD is recorded are recorded in a DMA onthe disc. Since only the default ACD is recorded in the ACA, the ACDstate information may include ACD block state information indicatingthat an ACD block corresponding to the default ACD has valid ACD and ACDblock state information indicating that the other ACD blocks within theACA are available.

In operation 1870, initial file system information for managing data tobe recorded in the UDA is recorded in the UDA in response to a writecommand from the host. Operation 1870 may be performed in any of theprevious operations.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method for a rewritablerecording medium according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11, inoperation 1910, the disc 100 that has been used is loaded into a drivesystem. In operation 1920, the system controller 10 included in thedrive system receives a reinitialization command from the host 3 throughthe host I/F 20. In operation 1930, the system controller 10 controlsthe writing/reading unit 2 to read information recorded in a DMA and anACA, which are included in a lead-in area of the disc 100, and bringsthe information. In operation 1940, the system controller 10 whether theinformation read from the DMA and the ACA permits reinitialization.

If it is determined that the information does not permitreinitialization, the system controller transmits an error message tothe host 3 through the host I/F 20 in operation 1980. However, if it isdetermined that the information permits reinitialization, in operation1950, the system controller 10 assigns a spare area in a data area onthe disc 100 to determine a size of the spare area and assigns a UDA forrecording user data in the data area to determine a start address and anend address of the UDA.

In operation 1960, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to clear the ACA included in the lead-in area on the disc 100 andrecords default ACD or overwrites default ACD recorded duringinitialization with new default ACD. Here, the system controller 10 mayor may not clear all ACD blocks in the ACA before recording the defaultACD. Since the default ACD is recorded during initialization and valuesincluded in the default ACD are set appropriately according to a user'sintention while the disc 100 is used, the default ACD recorded beforethe reinitialization may be overwritten with values appropriately setaccording to a user's intention to reinitialize the disc 100. It ispreferable, but not required, that all recordability/reproducibilityinformation included in common information in the default ACD are set tozero (0) to indicate that the disc 100 is recordable/reproducible. Inaddition, specific information included in the default ACD may be set toproper values according to the user's or a drive system's intention.

In operation 1970, the system controller 10 controls the writing/readingunit 2 to clear the DMA in the lead-in area and controls thewriting/reading unit 2 and the servo 50 to record an initial DFL and aDDS including spare area assignment information, UDA size information,and updated ACD state information in the DMA.

In operation 1990, the system controller 10 reinitializes file systeminformation, which has been recorded in the UDA to reinitializeinformation for managing data recorded in the UDA, in response to awrite command from the host 3.

FIG. 20 illustrates a structure of a write-once recording medium 200according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 20, the write-oncerecording medium 200 includes a lead-in area 210, a data area 220, and alead-out area 230. The lead-in area 210 includes a pre-recorded area211, a test area 212, an ACA 213, a DMA #1 215, a DMA #2 214, and atemporary DMA (TDMA) 216. The data area 220 includes a spare area #0221, a UDA 222, a spare area #1 223. The lead-out area 230 includes aDMA #3 231 and a DMA #4 232.

The write-once recording medium 200 has substantially the same structureas the disc 100 shown in FIG. 3, with the exception that the write-oncerecording medium 200 further includes the TDMA 216. A temporary DDS(TDDS), a temporary DFL (TDFL), and recording management data (RMD) arerecorded in the TDMA 216. During initialization, as shown in FIG. 20,the TDMA 216 includes an initial TDDS 217 containing spare areaassignment information, UDA size information, and ACD state information;an initial TDFL 218 containing initial defect management information;and initial RMD 219 containing initial recording management information.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of an initialization method for a write-oncerecording medium according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 21, inoperation 2110, an empty and write-once disc is loaded into a drivesystem. In operation 2120, the drive system receives an initializationcommand from a host according to a user's request to initialize thedisc.

In operation 2130, the drive system records the default ACD in the ACAon the disc in response to the initialization command. The recording ofthe default ACD may be automatically performed by a system controllerincluded in the drive system or may be performed by recordinginformation that is provided by the host to set the default ACD inresponse to a write command. Alternatively, the two methods may becombined. It is preferable, but not required, that allrecordability/reproducibility information included in common informationin the default ACD are set to zero (0) to indicate that the disc isrecordable/reproducible. Specific information included in the defaultACD may be set to proper values according to a user's or a drivesystem's intention.

In operation 2140, a spare area is assigned in a data area on the discto replace a defective block during defect management. In operation2150, a start address and an end address of a UDA are determined in thedata area. In operation 2160, a TDDS including spare area assignmentinformation, UDA size information, and ACD state information after thedefault ACD is recorded, an initial TDFL, and initial RMD are recordedin a TDMA on the disc. Since only the default ACD is recorded in theACA, the ACD state information may include ACD block state informationindicating that an ACD block corresponding to the default ACD has validACD and ACD block state information indicating that the other ACD blockswithin the ACA are available.

In operation 2170, initial file system information for managing data tobe recorded in the UDA is recorded in the UDA in response to a writecommand from the host. Operation 2170 may be performed in any of theprevious operations.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a reinitialization method for a rewritablerecording medium according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 22, inoperation 2210, the disc 100 that has been used is loaded into a drivesystem. In operation 2220, the system controller 10 included in thedrive system receives a reinitialization command from the host 3 throughthe host I/F 20. In operation 2230, the system controller 10 controlsthe writing/reading unit 2 to read information recorded in a DMA and anACA, which are included in a lead-in area of the disc 100, and bringsthe information. In operation 2240, the system controller 10 whether theinformation read from the DMA and the ACA permits reinitialization.

If it is determined that the information does not permitreinitialization, the system controller transmits an error message tothe host 3 through the host I/F 20 in operation 2280. However, if it isdetermined that the information permits reinitialization, in operation2250, the system controller 10 assigns a spare area in a data area onthe disc 100 to determine a size of the spare area and assigns a UDA forrecording user data in the data area to determine a start address and anend address of the UDA.

In operation 2255, the system controller 10 writes “00h” or “FFh” in anunrecognizable ACD block in the ACA automatically or in response to acommand from the host 3, and updates state information regarding theunrecognizable ACD block to indicate that the unrecognizable ACD blockcan be used by the drive system automatically or in response to acommand from the host 3. Since the unrecognizable ACD relates to afunction that a user, a drive system, or an application does not know,details of the unrecognizable ACD cannot be known. If suchunrecognizable ACD is not erased during reinitialization of a disc,inconvenience may be caused during use of the reinitialized disc. Forexample, if the ACD regarding a read protection function has beenrecorded and is not erased from a disc during reinitialization by adrive system and an application that does not recognize the readprotection function, data recorded on the disc cannot be read duringreproduction after the reinitialization since the disc still has theread protection. In other words, when a current user uses a disc withoutknowing that the disc has the read protection set by a previous user,the current user cannot efficiently use the disc. Fundamentally, ACDrecorded on a disc by a drive system including an application thatrecognizes the ACD includes common information according to which even adrive system including an application that cannot recognize the ACD canuse the disc. Accordingly, it is preferable that the ACD is not changedor erased during use of the disc. However, since reinitialization isperformed by a user to totally renew and reuse the disc, a function ofunrecognizable ACD is useless to the user.

In operation 2260, the system controller 10 changes or erases ACDcontained in a recognizable ACD block or adds a new ACD block to the ACAaccording to the user's request and updates ACD state information.Recognizable ACD relates to a function known to the user, the drivesystem, or the application. Accordingly, change, erasure, or additioncan be performed with respect to the recognizable ACD block according tothe user's request through special user interface. According to thechange, erasure, or addition, ACD state information included in a DDS isproperly updated. Such recognizable ACD may include default ACDdescribed in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19.

Thereafter, in operation 2270, the system controller 10 controls thewriting/reading unit 2 to clear the DMA in the lead-in area and controlsthe writing/reading unit 2 and the servo 50 to record in the DMA aninitial DFL and a DDS including spare area assignment information, UDAsize information, and updated ACD state information.

In operation 2290, the system controller 10 reinitializes file systeminformation, which has been recorded in the UDA to reinitializeinformation for managing data recorded in the UDA, in response to awrite command from the host 3.

While not required in all aspects, aspects can also be embodied ascomputer readable codes on one or more computer readable recordingmedium. The computer readable recording medium is any data storagedevice that can store data which can be thereafter read by a computersystem. Examples of the computer readable recording medium includeread-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetictapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves(such as data transmission through the Internet). The computer readablerecording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computersystems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in adistributed fashion. Also, functional programs, codes, and code segmentsfor accomplishing an embodiment can be easily construed by programmersskilled in the art to which embodiments pertain.

According to aspects, common information regarding disc access control,which is recognizable by all standards of a drive system, is recorded ona disc when the disc is initialized or reinitialized so that even adrive system that cannot recognize a function adapted to the disc canproperly operate based on the common information, thereby increasingcompatibility between discs and drive systems.

A number of examples have been described above. Nevertheless, it will beunderstood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitableresults may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in adifferent order and/or if components in a described system,architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different mannerand/or replaced or supplemented by other components or theirequivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope ofthe following claims.

1. A recording/reproducing apparatus that transfers data with respect toan information recording medium, the apparatus comprising: awriting/reading unit configured to write data to and/or read data fromthe information recording medium, the information recording mediumincluding an access control area, the access control area including anaccess control data block to store access control data, the accesscontrol data including common information regarding a correspondingpredetermined function recognized by a compliant type ofrecording/reproducing apparatus, the access control data being set toallow a non compliant type of recording/reproducing apparatus thatcannot recognize the predetermined function to control access to theinformation recording medium; and a control unit configured to controlthe writing/reading unit to write a predetermined value on an accesscontrol data identifier field in the access control data block toindicate that the access control data block is available to record another access control data.
 2. A recording/reproducing apparatus thattransfers data with respect to an information recording medium, theapparatus comprising: a writing/reading unit configured to write data toand/or read data from the information recording medium, the informationrecording medium including an access control area, the access controlarea including a plurality of access control blocks, each access controldata block to store access control data, the access control dataincluding common information regarding a corresponding predeterminedfunction recognized by a compliant type of recording/reproducingapparatus, the access control data being set to allow a non-complianttype of recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize thepredetermined function to control access to the information recordingmedium, one of the access control data blocks having an access controldata identifier field in the access control data, the access controldata identifier field including a second value that is changed from afirst value in response to an initialization of the informationrecording medium, the second value indicating that the one of the accesscontrol data blocks is available to record an other access control data;and a control unit configured to control the writing/reading unit toread a predetermined access control data block among the plurality ofaccess control data blocks from the access control area.
 3. A recordingmethod to record data on an information recording medium including anaccess control area, the access control area including an access controldata block to store access control data, the access control dataincluding common information regarding a corresponding predeterminedfunction recognized by a compliant type of recording/reproducingapparatus, the access control data being set to allow a non-complianttype of recording/reproducing apparatus that cannot recognize thepredetermined function to control access to the information recordingmedium, the recording method comprising: recording a predetermined valueon an access control data identifier field in the access control datablock to indicate that the access control data block is available forrecording an other access control data.